Harry Potter and the Star Spangled Banner
by Leo Damascus
Summary: Winner of Pojo.com's award for best non-anime fanfic in February, 2004! Harry has been enjoying his life since Voldemort's defeat. But then, a foe of international proportions kidnaps Ginny and Hermione! Features a new game played on brooms!
1. Quidditch

This story is rated PG: For violence, blood, brief language (not applicable to USA), and some animal gore.  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
In a small village known as Hogsmeade, and in a small house just inside its borders, a 30-year-old man named Harry Potter woke up at 5:32 AM. However, you would probably have not been able to tell the time like he did, because the clock he had used had nine hands and planets circling around the outside.  
  
He had awoken because a lightning shaped scar on his forehead burned. He didn't know why; it hadn't hurt since the fall of Lord Voldemort, an evil, and power hungry wizard.  
  
Harry got up and paced his room. It was twice as big as his house. You see; Hogsmeade is a place where wizards and witches live. Harry himself cast the spell on the house to maximize his space.  
  
Harry's fingers moved to his scar. He rubbed it diligently. The bed Harry just left shook a little. From underneath the covers a face under fiery red hair emerged. It looked tired, and worried.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" asked the woman in the bed.  
  
"Yes Ginny, it's just..." Harry hesitated to finish his sentence.  
  
"What?" asked Ginny.  
  
"My scar hurts. And it hasn't hurt since you-know-who..."  
  
"Go ahead, say Voldemort." Ginny said promptly.  
  
"Okay, since Voldemort came to power."  
  
Ginny just sat still for a second. Then she said, "Harry, I don't know what's wrong, but even if Voldemort has come back to power, you will need all the sleep you can get."  
  
"Okay," said Harry. "I'll be there in a second."  
  
Harry looked into his closet. There stood a miniature of a dragon, Hungarian Horntail in breed, next to two brooms. One broom had the gold letters "Firebolt" engraved upon it. The other one read "Fireblaze," which, at that time, was recognized as the fastest broomstick on which witches and wizards could ride. Next to those were his Quidditch Robes. They were bright orange, and had two large C's on them.  
  
Next to them was a map. It was a simple map; a small piece of parchment with a line on it. At the end of the line, there was an X. This must have been what he was looking for because he picked it out of his closet and examined it.  
  
"Ginny?" said Harry weakly.  
  
"Hmm?" said Ginny, who talked more tiredly than before.  
  
"I'm going for a walk. Okay?"  
  
Ginny just managed to get out "Okay," before giving a load snore.  
  
Harry walked out the front door, and down the street to the Hogsmeade Cemetery. Then, once again, he looked at the map. Then he looked up. There were no tombstones in sight, just a lot of paths. He chose one and followed it up. When he had to take some turns, he looked at the map again. Finally, he reached the end, and saw one single tombstone. Written on it was "Cho Potter, 1989-2012."  
  
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a single blossom. He placed it right in front of the tombstone. He looked down reverently at the words "Body not recovered." He remembered the horrible screams he heard on his twenty-second birthday. The night he went home to find only ashes on his bed where his now dead wife would have been. Then he thought about Ginny. Who could have been better to him than her? Even Cho couldn't compare…  
  
He left the cemetery loving Ginny more than ever. He thought about how much he loved her all the way home from the cemetery. He even dreamed that night about a romantic dinner with Ginny. But then a dark figure burst into the restaurant. It raised its wand, and a load noise filled the air.  
  
It was his clock. It woke him up. However, Ginny slept through it. Then, slowly but surely, Harry got into his bright orange Quidditch robes. He picked up his Fireblaze broomstick. Then, he walked out the front door.  
  
Ginny woke up. The smallest hand was pointing to Neptune, the biggest ... well, lets say it was 8:20 AM. Ginny rushed to the closet, pulled on her best robes, and rushed into the bathroom. There, she brushed her teeth, and hair, faster than you can say, "Hoggy Woggy Hog Warts!"  
  
She put some eggs in a pan. Then she pulled out her wand. She raised it and said, "Fryou!" Suddenly, the eggs split and fried themselves. "Wingardium Leviosa," said Ginny. The eggs flew off the counter and onto a set of pewter plates.  
  
"Oh, where is that boy!" said Ginny.  
  
Of course, she was talking about her son, James. James was sleeping in his bedroom, on a bed covered with Chudley Cannons blankets. By now his clock read 8:46 AM. He got up all groggy. He had untidy hair like his father, but no glasses. His hair was fiery red. He was about 13 in age, and in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.   
  
Just then, Ginny burst through the door. She started yelling, "James, you know we have an appointment! We are going to see your Dad play today!"  
  
"Sorry Mom! I just slept through the alarm!" James said quietly.  
  
"You what?" asked Ginny. She looked at his clock.  
  
"You were supposed to set it for Uranus at eight," she said. "How could you have slept through an alarm you didn't set?"  
  
James cast a quick look at his clock. Then he looked at his Mom with a forced "oops" face.  
  
"Sorry Mom! I just forgot to set it I guess!" James lied.  
  
Ginny glared at him for a few seconds. Then went back to the kitchen muttering, "Breakfast is ready. Wake your sister!"  
  
James got up and got dressed. He got into some loose, but still semi-best robes. He walked slowly down the hall to another room. He knocked on the door.  
  
"Ash!" said James loudly. "Ashley, we gotta watch Dad play Quidditch!"  
  
Out of the room burst a girl, about 9 years old. She had jet-black hair, which was very long. She had a blue twinkle in her eyes, and was wearing her best robes.  
  
"Ready!" She said loudly. As she and her brother walked to the kitchen, she thought she heard, "Show off."  
  
After the two arrived in the kitchen, the whole family (minus Harry) sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs. However, it tasted so much better because it wasn't made with the imperfection of Muggle machines, but rather Magic. Muggle is the term withes and wizards use to describe non-magical people. Today, during breakfast, the conversation turned to Muggles.   
  
"I know something you don't know!" said Ashley in a sing-songy voice to her Mom.  
  
"What dear?" asked Ginny.  
  
"Something about James he doesn't want to tell you!" said Ashley, with a huge grin shaping her face.  
  
Ginny looked directly at James. She had a nasty look on her face. "What?" she asked, still staring at James.  
  
Then he started panicking. "I knew I shouldn't have told you! I should have known you'd be a brat and tell!"  
  
Ashley looked at James, and her grin got even wider. She turned to her Mom who still hadn't left eye contact with James. Then she said loudly, so that her Mom could definitely hear, "James is spying in Muggle `TV rooms!'"  
  
"Doh!" said James even louder than Ashley.  
  
Ginny didn't get too mad. She gave James a warning not to do it again. By then, they had all finished their breakfasts, so they went to brush their teeth. Ginny brushed them again, muttering, "I can't believe..."  
  
Finally, They were ready to go. Ginny led James and Ashley to a shop just a few blocks down. Luckily, Hogsmeade has no muggles, so they could just walk in and ask for the portkey. A portkey is an item that will transfer you to a specific place at a specific time. It will only transport people who are touching it though.  
  
"Quidditch Finals," said Ginny, James and Ashley right behind her.  
  
"Why certainly," said the old man who ran the store. "Just go into that room. There's a bunch of people crowded around one.  
  
"Thank you!" said Ginny. Then, she, James, and Ashley all walked into a room that was covered by a curtain. About twenty or so people were crowded around a single rod. Ginny and her family joined them.  
  
"Just a few seconds now." James heard one of the other teenagers say.  
  
A few more people came in and touched the rod, before it started working. To every witch or wizard, it felt like someone had shoved a fishhook up his or her nostril and was pulling him or her through the air. When the "fish hook" was finally removed, they were in front of a stadium. Everyone was rushing into it.  
  
"Well," said Ginny. "Let's go get our seats."  
  
Harry had just now walked into the locker room. There he met the Chudley Cannons Team Captain Ron Weasley. However, he had grown up with Ron, so even though Harry had now gotten used to playing Quidditch for the Cannons, he was very excited to see him.  
  
"Hey Ron!" said Harry enthusiastically.  
  
"Hi Harry!" Ron replied immediately.  
  
"How's Hermione?"  
  
"Sorry Harry. We can't worry about that now. We got a UK finals Quidditch game to play."  
  
Ron led Harry to another room where five people where standing. Their names were Seamus Diggory, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabb, Oliver Wood, and Patsy Perkins. Ron got to the front and started waving his wand.  
  
Suddenly, lines appeared in the air. Ron starting talking and the lines started moving. It all seemed very complicated, but evidently, the Quidditch team understood.  
  
Quidditch is a magical sport played on brooms. There are seven players to a team, one keeper, three chasers, two beaters, and a seeker. The chasers try to throw a ball called the quaffle into one of three 50-foot poles at the opposing team's end of the field, which scores ten points. The keepers try to keep the quaffle from entering those hoops. Still, all players must dodge balls called bludgers that zoom around trying to knock the players off their brooms. Beaters are used to minimize the dodging that must be done by the other players. They zoom around trying to knock the bludgers away from their team, and toward the other team. Then comes the most important job, the seeker. He looks for a small, golden, winged ball known as the snitch. This is important. It scores the team 150 points and ends the game.  
  
The composition of the team is as follows. The three chasers are Ron Weasley, Patsy Perkins, and Seamus Diggory. Draco Malfoy is keeper. Vincent Crabb is a beater with Oliver Wood. And Harry is the seeker. He acquired this position because of his excellent flying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had played for the Hogwarts team Gryffindor as a seeker. Gryffindor barely ever lost with Harry on their team.  
  
"Harry!" said Ron.  
  
"What?" said Harry.  
  
"Did you bring..."  
  
"Yeah!" said Harry, looking around as if a spy might be there. "Yes I did."  
  
"Good," said Ron. "Then we can try our new move. And let's see some Wronskei Harry. Okay, now Malfoy, we all know you, and if needs be..."  
  
Ron went on saying something about Transylvania. Harry almost fell asleep. Finally, after giving a similar speech to Vincent Crabb, Ron said, "Okay, let's go!"  
  
As Ashley and James took their seats, Ginny handed them both a pair of binoculars, with all sorts of knobs as switches on them. "Omnioculars," said Ginny. "You will be able to see your father play with style now!"  
  
Just then, a loud voice filled the stadium. It said, "Ladies and Gentleman. Please stand for the minister of magic, Neville Longbottom."  
  
Everyone stood up. A rather large person walked slowly into a box at ground level. After entering, it rose magically to the top of the stadium.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the voice said again. "The Appleby Arrows!" The crowd erupted with applause.  
  
Seven witches and wizards came speeding into the stadium, one by one. The voice introduced each by name, but the only one that's important right now is Barney Kingledarm. After they had each entered the stadium, they assembled at a small ring in the center.  
  
The voice kicked up again. "And Now, the Chudley Cannons!" The crowd erupted with even more applause than for the Arrows. Then, the Cannons (whose names I don't think I need to say) came bursting out one by one. They too assembled in the center ring.  
  
An old man walked between the two teams. Then, the voice said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, our referee, Flint Berrings."  
  
The man got the most applause of all. However, he seemed not to notice. He just opened a box and two black balls and one small gold one flew into the air. Then, he threw a football sized, red ball into the air.  
  
"There we go," said the voice. "The pitch, Brack, Brown, Brack, Derium, Brown, intercept..."  
  
Chudley had taken the quaffle. Seamus ran down the field for a bit without passing.  
  
"Seamus Diggory gets the ball, goes into the pitch, Perkins, Weasley, SCORE!"  
  
The crowd erupted with applause. Harry was having fun cheering on his team from above. Then, he moved into a dive. Barney Kingledarm zoomed after him.  
  
"It seems that Harry's seen the snitch," said the voice.  
  
Harry kept zooming toward the ground, closely followed by Kingledarm. And just before he hit the ground, Harry pulled out of the dive. Kingledarm however, hit the ground with full impact.  
  
"Wronskei feint! That's the problem with Appleby. Such a gullible seeker," said the voice.  
  
Harry moved back into the sky. He observed Crabb fake hitting another beater. So, a bludger came by and knocked an Appleby chaser off his broom.  
  
"Ooh!" said the voice. "The Transylvanian Tackle is well used by Chudley. And it's legal! That makes the score 30-60 to Chudley!"  
  
Just then, Harry saw something gold fly by. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the other seeker. He took a galleon (a piece of wizard money) and through it at the other seeker. His plan worked! Kindledarm (who hadn't really been hurt much by the wronskei feint) dove after it. Harry took off in the opposite direction.  
  
"I don't know what Harry's thinking, but if I where him, I'd find out what Appleby was looking for," said the voice.  
  
Then Harry reached out his hand, grabbed the snitch, and zoomed toward the center circle. Kindledarm finally caught the Galleon, and pocketed it. It wasn't the snitch he'd thought it was.  
  
Harry landed in the center circle. He handed the Snitch to the referee. Chudley had won, 50-210!  
  
Then, Kindledarm flew down next to Harry as if to congratulate him. But, Harry soon found out that wasn't it. He did fly down and extend his hand, but it contained a piece of parchment. Harry opened it, and read the words, "Number two shall suffer the same fate." 


	2. The Wedding

Chapter 2:  
  
Harry turned the note over in his hand. The slip was written on a cutting from "The Sweet Water Journal." He flipped it over again. Number two shall suffer the same fate. Harry pondered it's meaning for a while.  
  
Ron landed right beside Harry. "Nice move!" he said. "It worked better than we thought! Genius, that's what it… what's that you have there?"  
  
Harry stuffed the note into a pocket on the side of his quidditch robes, saying, "Nothing."  
  
The referee walked up to Harry. He had a smile on his face, and looked very welcoming. He walked up to Harry and said, "Congratulations on a game well played! Hey, what's that?" he said, looking at Harry's pocket.  
  
"That's a page from the Sweet Water Journal isn't it? I have a subscription myself."  
  
Ron said, "Do you?"  
  
"Why yes," said Flint Berrings. "I live in Sweet Water, Texas! But the Allstars barely ever see past game three, so I figured I should go into refereeing so I could watch more Quidditch. Darn that Quodpot!" said Flint.  
  
Harry had read in the book, "Quidditch through the ages" that Quodpot was another sport played on brooms that is popular in the Americas. He also knew that that Sweet Water was a city in Texas, USA.  
  
"Well, I better be off. Don't want to miss the portkey home." And with that, Flint left the stadium.  
  
Just then, Ginny came up and hugged Harry saying, "Wow, that was quite a game. What a move Harry!"  
  
Then, Ashley and James came to. Ashley was running rather slowly, and James was walking.  
  
"Daddy!" Ashley yelled. Then she too gave him a hug.  
  
James yawned. "Great game, I guess," he said quickly.  
  
"You guess?" came Harry's reply.  
  
"Yeah, with the new move Quidditch is a little more exciting, but still not as good as Quidmot."  
  
Quidmot is yet another sport played on brooms, invented on July 23, 2010. This game uses the ever popular quaffle, but when touched, you must stop your broom within 2 seconds of catching, then chuck it at the bludger, or pass it to another team mate. You must still avoid getting hit by the bludger though, and that's the trick!  
  
To end the game you still need to catch the snitch.  
  
The team is made up of four passers, two hitters, and a grabber. The passers deal with the quaffle, the hitters try to get the bludger a good distance away from the passers, without letting it knock them out. The grabber tries to catch the snitch.  
  
Hitting the bludger is worth 20 points, catching the snitch is worth 50.  
  
James plays on the gryffindor Quidmot team as grabber. He studies his dad's job because it helps him win his Quidmot games. But quidditch is known to bore the heck out of him.  
  
Hermione came running up to Ron. She kissed him, and as she was holding hiss head, Harry noticed a ring on her finger.  
  
"What's that?" Harry asked immediately.  
  
"Oh," Hermione said. Then she held out her hand. "Ron and I are engaged!"  
  
What followed was a lot of cheering and congratulation on the engagement. Aslo came wishes of a happy future.  
  
However, Harry did not. Not because he wasn't thrilled, but because he had to find out what that note meant. Harry solved mysteries best with Ron and Hermione. He'd have to ask them to help.  
  
As Harry left the Quidditch field, he had both happiness in knowing his two best friends were finally getting married, and fear of whatever it was that note meant. The word "suffer" can never mean something good.  
  
However, Harry felt happier than he was worried. He took the portkey home with his family, while Ron and Hermione disapparated back to Ron's place. He also looked at the other team. They were disapparating too, except for one, he noticed, was looking at him; Barney Kingledarm, Applby seeker.  
  
Only the Quidditch referee broke their gaze. Suddenly, a pain overcame Harry in his scar. In fact, it hurt so much that Harry passed out.  
  
Ginny's hand left her husband's grip. She looked around for Harry. She found him on the ground, about 20 feet from the portkey. Ashley said, "Mom, we're gonna miss the portkey!"  
  
Ginny looked James straight in the face. "Take your sister and touch the portkey. I'll be along as soon as possible."  
  
James grabbed his sister by the wrist and pulled her toward a huddle of people carrying the portkey. He instructed Ashley to touch it. She touched it, and they waited for the time to run out.  
  
Ginny, however, struggled to pull her husband to the kids. She pulled and pulled, and slowly edged nearer. Twenty seconds left. She was 18 feet away. Ten seconds. She was eight feet away. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…  
  
She thrust her husband's hand onto the portkey. In seconds, he, Ginny, James, and the other people touching the portkey all disappeared, and reappeared in a little shop in Hogsmeade. When they got there, the first thing Ashley did was shake her dad.  
  
"Dad, please get up! Don't be dead!"  
  
James laughed. Then he assured Ashley he wasn't dead. He pointed to Harry's chest, and explained to Ashley that as long as their dad breathes, he isn't dead.  
  
Ginny soon appeared in the shop too, her wand raised over her head. She lowered the wand and stuffed it in her pocket. Then she ran over to Harry. "Please get up!" she sobbed.  
  
When Harry finally came to, he shook his head. Then he rubbed his scar, while muttering, "Ugh!"  
  
Ashley ran up and hugged her dad. "You're alive!" she screamed.  
  
Harry laughed, "I think so," he said.  
  
Ginny said, "Well, at least your all right." She didn't ask what happened, because she recognized one of Harry's scar attacks when she saw one.  
  
"Well," Harry said, while standing up slowly. "Let's go home."  
  
They all walked toward the entrance to the store. There, Harry saw a magazine. It had Hermione Granger written over the top of the cover, and a moving picture of her in the middle. Her picture self was giving Harry flirtish looks, as her bushy brown hair blew behind her. Harry smiled and thought That's Hermione all right!  
  
Harry walked out of the store with Ginny, and Ashley. But James stayed, hypnotized by Hermione's picture, which had begun to flirt with him. Ginny noticed that James was gone and went back to go get him.  
  
This is a perfect time for me to tell you about Hermione. In her Hogwarts year, she had sort of a crush on Harry. The two did end up good friends, but Hermione was the nerd of Gryffindor, so the two didn't hang out as much as Harry and Ron did. No one could have guessed that she'd grow up to be a witch supermodel (just to model wands though).  
  
She has bushy brown hair and hypnotizing green eyes. When she's not modeling, she wears small glasses.  
  
After tearing James away from the magazine (Wands for Witches and Wizards Weekly), The Potters went home. They ate a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and then got doing whatever it was they did on a Saturday. James got into his Hogwarts robes and got back on the Hogwarts Express, Ashley went off to play with the girl next door, and Ginny cleaned up the table. Harry went to bed, because a lot had happened to him that day.  
  
As he jumped into his bed, he heard crunching from outside his window, and a swish of robes. He looked outside, only to see the tail of black robes moving through his yard. Suddenly, he heard Ginny scream and a plate smash. He ran to the kitchen and found a piece of paper where Ginny had been. It read, "At last, number two."  
  
It was in a different handwriting than the first note.  
  
"Really?" asked Ron, even though he hadn't paid much attention.  
  
It was the day of Ron and Hermione's wedding. Ron was dressed in a tuxedo. Weddings are a muggle tradition that carried on in the wizard world.  
  
Harry had just finished telling Ron about what happened.  
  
"Yes," he continued, "And immediately after, I called the Ministry. They said if they find who it is, he'll get five years in Azkaban, minimum. I just…"  
  
"Look Harry, I can't really pay attention right now. It's my wedding! I supposed to be happy. I'll help you after the wedding."  
  
Then Ron puffed out his chest, and walked into the wedding hall. Harry also walked up. He was Ron's best man.  
  
The music started. The flower girls ran through the hall, throwing flowers here and there. They where shortly followed by Hermione. She walked down the hall in probably the most beautiful wedding dress Harry and Ron had ever seen.   
  
She finally got to the altar, but the music didn't stop. A man dressed in white robes and a white pointed hat walked out of the back door. Then the music stopped.  
  
"Dearly beloved," he said warmly. "We are gathered here today to witness these two lovers join each other in marrige. If anyone objects to this marrige, let him speak now or forever keep quiet." It isn't exactly what a muggle preacher would have said, but it still worked.  
  
Then, a man in the audience stood up. It was the seeker from the team Harry defeated! Harry also noticed that he was wearing black robes! Smoke Erupted from his finger. There were gasps and screams, as everyone tried to escape.  
  
Harry was trying too, but then he heard Ron yell, "Hermione!" as someone would if they where looking for someone.  
  
It was then that it hit Harry. 


	3. Shadows at the Train Station

Chapter 3:  
  
"I'm sorry sir," said the lady at the desk. "But we are doing all we can."  
  
Harry and Ron were at the information desk for the Ministry of Magic subdivision, Location of Lost Wizards or Magical Creatures. It had been a month since the wedding already, and the two were beginning to get impatient about the speed the search was moving.  
  
Harry rubbed his eyes. He felt a bubble of frustration swelling inside him, but he had learned long ago not to let seething emotions overcome him. Ron, on the other hand, hadn't.  
  
"Listen, and try to understand. We've both lost the girls we love. We tried your method, but it hasn't helped at all. If you would just let us assist…"  
  
"Sir, you would only get in the way. Then what the professionals have already done…"  
  
"THEY HAVEN'T DONE A BLINKIN' THING!" Ron roared. "THEY'VE JUST BEEN ROAMIN' AROUND LONDON PEERIN' IN THE WINDOWS OF OLD DEATH-EATERS! WE TOLD YOU WHO DID IT! HARRY DOESN'T LIE!"  
  
"Sir, even if Barney Kingledarm did the deed you claim, we would still need proof solid enough for a warrant. For all we know, he was subject to the imperius curse."  
  
"WELL YOU DONE A BLOODY GOOD JOB FINDING OUT!"  
  
Harry rested his arm on Ron's shoulder. "Come off it Ron," he said calmly.  
  
Ron calmed down. "Sorry," he said to the attendant. Then he turned to Harry.  
  
"I just don't know what we're going to do. My bride taken on my wedding, my sister shortly before, it can just get to you."  
  
"Listen Ron," Harry said. "I believe that they may be in the USA. Both crimes seem oriented in the same way, and Barney Kingledarm gave me this, written on the back of a clipping from the Sweet Water Journal, shortly after the quidditch match."  
  
Harry handed Ron the paper he had received. Ron stared at it blankly. "Number Two shall suffer the same fate," he read aloud.  
  
"I don't know what it means," said Harry, "but it seems to have been referring to Ginny. After all, she was my second wife."  
  
"Blimey Harry! You don't think he means to kill her?"  
  
"And this point, Ron, I don't know what to think."  
  
"Well Harry, we should get going! These idiots and the ministry of magic aren't going to do anything."  
  
"Hold on," said Harry. "We can't apparate, it's too far."  
  
"And we can't fly," said Ron. "We'll be seen for sure."  
  
"Wait," said Harry. "Maybe we can fly. We just need to do it the muggle way. Via airplane."  
  
"I guess…"  
  
"It will work, I swear. All we need is a travel agent to get us there."  
  
"Well then, let's get to it, post haste!"  
  
And so, Ron and Harry went to the travel agency. Ron felt delighted that he was finally going to help in the search for Hermione and Ginny. "Two tickets to Sweet Water, Texas please," he said to the woman at the desk. "And be quick about it."  
  
"Sir, there isn't a Sweet Water in the Texas area, to our agency's knowledge."  
  
Ron's delight quickly faded. "Now what?" he whispered to Harry.  
  
"Sweet Water is a magical city," Harry whispered back. "Like Hogsmeade, muggles don't know about it. Better go somewhere nearby."  
  
Harry approached the woman at the desk. "Excuse me 'mam," he said. "But it is terribly urgent we get to Houston, Texas as soon as possible. What is the fastest way that you can get us there?"  
  
"There aren't any flights going direct to America from Britain for six months. The best I can do for you is a train tomorrow to Frankfurt, Germany. From there I can get you on a flight to Houston in three days."  
  
"That sounds great! Thank you," said Harry.  
  
Harry and Ron bought their tickets. Harry purchased four, so that Ashley and James wouldn't be forced to be home alone. Then Harry and Ron bid each other farewell, making plans to meet at the station the next day.  
  
Harry and his family were waiting at the station for Ron. Ron was running a little late, and Harry was afraid he was going to miss the train.  
  
"Daddy, are these trains like the Hogwarts Express?" Ashley asked Harry.  
  
"No Ashley," Harry replied. "Muggles think that only new stuff is better. They also think that adding a lot of curves on things make them look new. So, this train is going to look different. But it will still feel the same."  
  
Harry still saw no sign of Ron. The train was pulling into the station now, and the conductor was announcing that the train would be leaving in 15 minutes.  
  
"Ashley, James, I didn't have a choice of which trains we got. This one doesn't have a toilet. I suggest that you go now, or you may not get the chance."  
  
"We'll be fine," both Ashley and James barked. Actually they were afraid that muggle cleaning methods weren't up to wizard standards.  
  
"Fine. James, watch your sister and look or Ron. I need to go."  
  
Harry left to use the men's toilets. He had just gotten to the point where he couldn't see Ashley and James, when he felt a bash to his side. Someone was knocking him over.  
  
"Get off me!" Harry screamed. The man rolled over onto the floor beside Harry. Harry jumped to his feet and pulled out his wand. "Who are you and what do you want."  
  
"Please," said the man. "I want to help." It was Barney Kingledarm.  
  
"If you will only listen, I can give you some helpful advice."  
  
"You kidnapped my wife, and my best friend! Give me one good reason a should!"  
  
"It wasn't my choice."  
  
"Imperius?"  
  
"No, much worse. You have no idea who you're dealing with."  
  
Kingledarm rose to his feet. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead fell on his face. A figure cloaked in black attire had just shoved a knife through Kingledarm's back.  
  
Harry hadn't even seen the murderer come. He had snuck in with stealth matching that of a ninja. Without even a breath, this man had disappeared into the shadows with just as much stealth as he entered.  
  
Harry heard Ron calling his name. "Harry, there you are," he said catching up to him. It took him but a moment to realize that someone lay dead at Harry's feet. "Whoa," said Ron upon its discovery. "What just happened here?"  
  
Then Harry felt the knife in his pocket. 


	4. Trouble with the Law

Chapter 4:  
  
Harry pulled the knife out of his pocket. It was dripping with blood. He stared blankly at it. So did Ron.  
  
"Harry," said Ron, pointing to the body. "What do you think you're doing? You can't kill someone in a public train station! It's a good job nobody can see him over here."  
  
"Ron, I swear I didn't do it. You have to believe me," said Harry, a slight quiver in his voice. He looked into Ron's eyes, as if begging him to believe.  
  
Ron looked down at his feet. "I believe you," he said. Harry wasn't sure if he could believe him.  
  
"Listen," Harry said, discarding the knife. "I know it looks odd, but I didn't kill him. I don't even think he knew where the girls were."  
  
"Stabbing him isn't going to help us find out though, is…"  
  
"I DIDN'T STAB HIM!" Harry screamed. Ron hadn't seen Harry this angry since Dumbledore died.  
  
"He came to tell me something about the girls," Harry explained, "and then an assassin came and stabbed him."  
  
"Harry, even if you didn't stab him, unless we dispose of the body fast, people will think you did it. You've got motive."  
  
Harry hadn't realized that. Quickly, he and Ron pulled out their wands and cast a vanishing spell on the body.  
  
"Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "We've got to get moving. We've now only five minutes to catch our train!"  
  
The two broke out in a mad dash. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, and knocked over seven people in the rush.  
  
"All aboard!" yelled the conductor. James and Ashley were waiting in front of the train door for Harry and Ron.  
  
"GET ON THE TRAIN!" Harry screamed at them, but they obviously hadn't heard them. Harry had to grab them and push them in the train in order to get them on.  
  
They made it with half a second to spare. Before they could even recover themselves, the train had started moving.  
  
The four of them got up, examined their tickets, and found their seats. Ron and Harry where seated next to the windows, with James and Ashley on the aisle seats.  
  
Harry stared out the window. He noticed a bird, flying away to the clouds. He wished it luck on its journey.  
  
The train ride lasted twelve hours. By the time they made it to Frankfurt, it was already 10:00 pm. Harry and Ron decided that they needed a hotel for the night, since their plane didn't take off for three days. Ron didn't know where the closest magical place was, so they decided to stay at a muggle hotel. They found one not to far from the station called the Inter Continental.  
  
"All right," said Harry. "Now we've found a place to stay, we need some money to pay for it. What do we have?"  
  
"Well, if you had thought ahead like me," said Ron, "you would have thought to bring the proper currency. Muggles don't use galleons and all, do they?"  
  
Harry hadn't thought of this, and was thankful Ron had.  
  
"So," said Ron, "I exchanged my money before we left." Ron pulled out a wad of £100 notes.  
  
"Ron," said Harry understandingly, "Not all muggles use the same currency."  
  
"Exactly!" said Ron. "That is why I also got these." Ron then proceeded to pull out a large wad of both Euro and Dollar bills.  
  
"Great! This is exactly what we need!" said Harry. Then Ron lent him one of his Euro wads, and Harry purchased one room for the four of them to share, so as not to deplete more funds than necessary.  
  
"A little small isn't it?" said Ron as they came to their room.  
  
"We couldn't afford a bigger one," Harry explained. Ron still didn't cheer up.  
  
James saw the TV, and was thrilled. "It's excellent dad! Thank you!" he cheered. Then he turned it on.  
  
"I've seen muggles use these things all the time. They can watch whichever other people they want with these things," James explained.  
  
"Really," said Ashley, curiosity in her voice.  
  
"Yeah. It works just like this."  
  
On the television was a documentary about the dung beetle. "See, I don't care to look at a beetle," James said to his sister. "So I just press this button."  
  
James, not understanding the concept of a remote, had pushed the volume up button. "Just a second, it will work," he said, and continued pushing on the volume up button.  
  
"Quiet!" yelled Ron, but James, still not understanding the remote control concept, just started staring at it. Harry ran over, grabbed the remote, and returned the volume to a tolerable volume.  
  
"It's the one labeled channel that you want," Harry said to James. He demonstrated by flipping channels up one.  
  
The show on that channel was a news broadcast in the English language. The story was about a picture some tourists had taken while at a train station in London. In the background, the police had discovered Harry looming over Kingledarm's body, knife in hand, and Ron just staring at the body.  
  
"What's happening?" Ron asked, seeing how intrigued Harry was.  
  
"The police… someone took a picture of us with Kingledarm's body. They're after us, and I'll bet 700 galleons that it won't be long before the magic community is on to us, too."  
  
Ron looked left to right nervously. "You don't suppose they can find us, do you?"  
  
"Muggles keep track of everything you do with them, Ron. If they find our travel agent, chances are they'll find us in the hotel."  
  
"What's going on?" Ashley asked, worried by her father's reaction to the news program. Harry ignored her.  
  
"It's not safe in this hotel," he said. "We're going to have to leave it."  
  
"And get another hotel?" asked James. He was watching a German cartoon with great interest.  
  
"No hotels are safe. We'll have to sleep in the airport, or a train station, or something," Harry replied.  
  
He went to the front door to their hotel room in hopes of escape, but the door wouldn't budge. Someone had done something to lock the door. Harry, Ron, James, and Ashley were all trapped inside. 


	5. Shadows in the Bushes

Chapter 5:  
  
Ginny shook her head. It had been aching all through the night. Perhaps it was from her hunger, or perhaps it was from her inability to practice good hygiene. All she knew was that she was in pain.  
  
Ginny got to her feet. Her surroundings didn't surprise her. She had gotten used to them two weeks after her capture. Besides, she knew she wouldn't be their much longer. Her husband would find some way to save her.  
  
"Hermione, wake up." Ginny said, prodding Hermione with her finger.  
  
Hermione croaked and groaned awake. Unlike Ginny, she could not adapt to imprisonment. She just wanted to sleep the awful reality away.  
  
"Hermione, if you don't get up now, we won't get any breakfast," Ginny pleaded. Hermione groaned again, but pulled herself to her feet.  
  
"Right," Hermione yawned. "What's crawled into our cell today?"  
  
Ginny and Hermione looked around the floor. They saw a centipede that she'd squashed with her head the previous night, five spiders waiting patiently on the wall for their own breakfast, and a rat.  
  
"We'd better save the centipede for days not so plentiful as today," said Hermione. Ginny agreed.  
  
"I'm feeling particular to rat today," Ginny said with a smile. The two caught the rat and cut it, using a fragment of a brick that had fallen from the wall. Ginny feasted on its skin, while Hermione got the innards.  
  
The two were discussing who would receive the eyeballs, when they heard a slight stirring in the corner of their cell. They abandoned the rat, and went to investigate this sleeping intruder.  
  
The intruder was wrapped in what appeared to be robes. They were black, and clung tightly to the body. Its hand rested on the knife it had wrapped to its side.  
  
Ginny left the eyeballs next to the figure and left.  
  
"What are we going to do?" cried Ashley. She was really in a state of panic, having never been locked in a room before without someone on the other side to come to the rescue.  
  
"She's right, Harry. We could get out just fine by disapparation, but neither of these children is even old enough to attempt such a thing," Ron agreed.  
  
"Please," said James in disgust. "Standard book of spells, grade 1 people!" James walked over to the door, raised his wand, and chanted, "Alohamora!"  
  
The door swung open, but someone had piled debris in front of the exit as well. They were still trapped.  
  
"You know Harry," said Ron. "I don't think we need to worry about people finding us anymore; someone already found us."  
  
Harry turned quickly to his children. "Listen," he said. "We don't have a lot of options at this point. I think you'll need to disapparate. I can teach you, but you absolutely must NOT mess up. Do you hear me?"  
  
"Yes," Ashley and James groaned.  
  
"We can't afford for you to mess up. The results could be disastrous."  
  
"We got it!" James barked.  
  
"All right." Said Harry. He went on to explain the proper method of disapparation. "We don't have time for short practices," he said. "You'll just have to go straight into those bushes." He pointed out of the window to some hydrangeas out of the window.  
  
Ron went first to ensure everything went smoothly. Ashley and James both followed. Finally, it was Harry's turn.  
  
Harry was distracted by a muffled voice in the hall. "Antreiben Sie nicht, Harry Potter! Wir wissen, dass du dahin bist!"  
  
As the German police force started moving away the debris, Harry raised his wand over his head and disapparated from the room.  
  
Harry reappeared in the bushes. He saw Ron and Ashley ahead.  
  
"Hey," yelled Harry. "We'd better get going!"  
  
"But Harry…" Ron screamed, but Harry had already fled into the night.  
  
Ron too had to make a break for it. He had just noticed, that the police had started a search on the bushes. He grabbed Ashley's hand and made a brake for it.  
  
One of the policemen had seen him. "Halt!" he cried, but Ron just kept running, Ashley in hand. He saw Harry hide in another bushes. If he could just get to a hiding place, he could get to Harry through dissaparation.  
  
He ran into a bar nearby. Once there, he instructed Ashley carefully.  
  
"We both need to dissaparate and get to your father. Can you do it again?"  
  
"Yes, I think so, but…"  
  
"Do it NOW!" Ron commanded. With the blink of an eye, she was gone. Ron, with the speed of a cheetah, did the same.  
  
Harry welcomed them to his hiding spot. They laughed as the police ran into the bar after Ron and Ashley.  
  
"Wait," Harry said. "Where's James?"  
  
"That's what I wanted to tell you," said Ron. "He's gone!"  
  
"Gone?"  
  
"Shortly after his appearance in the bushes, someone cloaked in black came out of the shadows and grabbed James. I tried to chase after him, but he had already disappeared by the time I realized what was going on."  
  
Harry rubbed his head. The bubble of frustration inside him swelled even greater.  
  
"Ron," Harry said. "Whoever this is will probably come after Ashley too. I want you to watch her closely. I want no one near her, and keep her away from shadows."  
  
"Do you think James is dead?" inquired Ron.  
  
Harry frowned. 


	6. The Sun Comes Up

Chapter 6:  
  
It wasn't the best night's sleep Harry ever had, but he was thankful that he, Ron, and Ashley were all still free. Harry welcomed this stream of luck with great gratitude.  
  
There was a stir in the bushes.  
  
Harry had heard many noises through the night. Mostly it was red squirrels. There were plenty of those roaming around the park they were sleeping in. But this noise was big. Bigger than any the squirrels in the Palmen Garten could make.  
  
Harry didn't think it was the police. They would have probably tried to arrest him already.  
  
"Ron, wake up." Harry whispered.  
  
Ron woke slowly, muttering, "What do you want Harry?"  
  
"Somebody's here, in the bushes. I think it might be another one of those shadow people." Harry looked at the bench his daughter had been sleeping on. "Where's Ashley?"  
  
"I don't know," Ron replied.  
  
Ashley screamed. Harry quickly ran into the bushes in search of his daughter. He found Ashley, and she was afraid.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"SPIDER!" she screamed.  
  
Harry found the spider. It was a house spider, and a particularly small one. It couldn't have even bitten Ashley had it tried.  
  
"Harry!" Ron yelled, running into the bushes after Harry. "I think she's safe. That spider's a right pipsqueak."  
  
Harry gave his daughter a stern look. "What were you doing in these bushes?" he asked accusatively.  
  
"I just needed to use the loo," she said innocently.   
  
"Next time," Harry warned, "please tell either me and Ron when you plan to do something, all right?"  
  
"Come off it, Harry," said Ron. "She didn't mean to."  
  
Harry rubbed his eyes. Ron could see the frustration was getting to him. Ron told him to calm down, and that all would be okay.  
  
"Tell you what," Ron said. "What you need is a nice big helping of breakfast, my treat."  
  
Ron pulled out a wad of Euros from his pocket.  
  
Harry turned to Ron. "Sounds good," he said.  
  
The three of them left the bush. Harry was feeling slightly relieved that it was only his daughter making noises. But, as they left the bush, they took notice of a man examining the bench they had been sleeping on and near.  
  
"Oi, what're you doing?" Ron yelled.  
  
"Please," said the man, in a German accent. "I only vant to help. I read about you, Harry Potter, in ze Daily Prophet, und could tell zat you vere set up."  
  
The man was wearing a shirt with a single stripe on it. His pants were slightly dirty, as if he had been kneeling on a mound of dirt. He had messy hair, similar to Harry's, but black eyes. He appeared to be about 42 years old.  
  
"How do we know that we can trust you?" Harry inquired of the man.  
  
"I tell you vhat. Tell me vhere you vant to go, und I can get you zere. I am very good at ze sneaking, ja?"  
  
"Harry," Ron said. "We could use a translator."  
  
"All right, he can come. But he's under a strict watch, okay?"  
  
"I promise you sir, you vill not be needing to do zat," the man said.  
  
The day they were to depart for America finally came. They hadn't even seen the police since Hans Schlange (That was the man's name) had joined them. Hans had managed to become good friends with them. Harry even trusted him near Ashley.  
  
He took them to Frankfurt International Airport. Sure enough, the police were guarding it.  
  
"Blimey," said Ron. "Look at that! They've near formed a perimeter around the place. You'd think Harry killed a president instead of that Kingledarm fellow."  
  
"I told you," said Harry, "I didn't kill Kingledarm."  
  
"Oh right," Ron said.  
  
"Listen," Hans instructed. "Ve cannot get in zere vithout ze stealth, ja? Do you have anysing zat could help you vith ze sneaking?"  
  
"Couldn't we just disapparate inside?" Ron asked.  
  
"No. Ze council of vizards here in Germany has a border around zat airport. Nobody can get disapparate in, or out. Isn't zere somesing you have to help you get in?"  
  
"Of course," said Harry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bean. He split the bean in half, and pulled out a silvery substance. The substance spread and turned into the invisibility cloak he had obtained in his youth.  
  
"We can sneak by them in this," Harry said.  
  
"Und, I have a spell zat can remove ze noise ve are making," said Hans.  
  
So they threw on the cloak, and Hans cast his spell.  
  
Ashley tried to say, "Dad, are things going to be all right?" but Hans spell had removed that sound.  
  
Slowly they snuck, right up to the wall of police. Slowly they broke the lines. Harry could feel one of the police breathing down his neck.  
  
Once Ron accidentally bumped into one. The policeman pulled out his gun. "Who's there?" he called. But there was no answer, so he put his gun away.  
  
They were more careful breaking further in.  
  
They snuck under the cloak, completely silent, all the way onto the airplane. There, they found their seats designated by their tickets. Hans took James' seat.  
  
"Attention fliers, please return your seats and tray tables to their upright position, and turn your attention to the flight attendants, who will be giving you a briefing on our airline's safety procedures."  
  
"We did it," said Ron. "We made it onto the plane! Things are finally looking brighter!"  
  
"Hold on Ginny," Harry whispered to himself. "I'm coming." 


End file.
